Great Britain will increase nuclear weapons stock as defense policy shifts

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK should become a nimble power broker with greater influence in the Indo-Pacific region, supported by an increase in domestic investment in science and technology.

“The fortunes of the British people are almost uniquely linked to events on the other side of the world,” Johnson told Parliament as he presented a blueprint for Britain’s post-Brexit foreign policy ambitions. “The UK could never turn in or be satisfied with the narrow horizons of a regional foreign policy,” he said.

Brexit has long been touted by government officials as a way for Britain to adapt quickly to global challenges that are unimpeded by the EU. The government’s 114-page review paints a bleak picture for the next decade.

The report warns that the pullout from globalization, which began after the financial crisis, will continue to exacerbate divisions between nations. The use of new chemical and nuclear weapons will also increase, the review says, as challenges to US supremacy grow. “A defense of the status quo is no longer enough,” it concluded.

As a result of these prospects, Britain is reinforcing its nuclear threat as a deterrent. Britain was on track to reduce its stockpile of warheads to no more than 180 warheads by the mid-2020s.

Faced with increasing threats, this ceiling will be raised to no more than 260 warheads. The government will no longer provide figures on how many of the warheads are operational.

According to the Federation of American Scientists, the UK currently has a stockpile of 190 warheads. Its stockpile will remain the lowest of declared nuclear powers, including neighboring France.

Some analysts questioned the move. After years of ranting against nuclear proliferation, raising this limit is “a major diplomatic mistake,” said Nick Witney, former CEO of the European Defense Agency. “It provides more arguments for proliferators around the world.”

A series of considerations will arise after Brexit. To pay for a new army, the UK will have to cut back on spending on more conventional forces. It will try to forge closer relations in the Indo-Pacific region, even if officials say it will not turn its back on Europe.

Underlining this complex balance: Britain will strive to expand economic relations with China, while criticizing its human rights record and seeking to stem Beijing’s threat to Britain’s national security.

“We have to strike a balance,” said Mr Johnson, adding that now was not the time for a Cold War with China. This year, the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth will conduct patrols in disputed waters in the South China Sea amid mounting tension with Beijing.

Much of the assessment is made up of Britain’s experience during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the country was dependent on extensive global supply chains, leaving it vulnerable to the closing of borders.

Meanwhile, the successful development and rollout of vaccines has turned into a victory over soft power.

Britain’s foreign policy will now be supported by a large-scale domestic spending program aimed at supporting UK research and development. The UK aims to spend at least £ 6.6 billion, equivalent to $ 9.18 billion, in defense funding over the next four years in areas such as space, directed energy weapons and advanced high-speed missiles.

“It feels like the British approach is becoming more French and less liberal,” said Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general of the Royal United Services Institute, a defense think tank. “It puts more focus on our national technology base.” France has previously advocated building its domestic defense and technology capabilities.

How this overhaul is being paid for will be detailed next week, when the government outlines a series of cuts to the country’s military. Analysts expect the government to reduce the number of soldiers, fighter jets and frigates to pay for the rejigger. But Britain’s finances are already strained after the pandemic, raising questions about how and whether the new strategy will be properly implemented, said Mr. Witney.

The review states that the US will remain the UK’s most important ally, both commercially and militarily. Britain will continue to see Russia as its main adversary and Britain will try to build diplomatic ties in the Indo-Pacific region.

It has applied to become a partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and wants to join the trans-Pacific free trade agreement. Mr. Johnson will be visiting India shortly.

Last year, the British government announced the largest increase in military spending since the Cold War in an effort to secure its position as the US’s main military ally in post-Brexit Europe. The country will spend an additional £ 24.1 billion over the next four years compared to last year’s budget. This, the government says, reaffirms Britain’s commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Write to Max Colchester at [email protected]